KARACHI, March 12: A large number of people, majority of whom were women and children, flocked to an amusement park in Gulshan-i-Iqbal to participate in a mela on Tuesday.

The mela, which is an annual event, was organised by the Association of Business Professional and Agricultural Women to mark the International Women’s Day. The mela was inaugurated by a working woman, paper seller Jamna Bai.

Over 50 stalls were set up where women were selling handicrafts, home-made goods, clothes, embroidery work, decoration pieces, edibles, woodwork, cosmetics, etc, while children had crowded the stalls where face-paintings were being done.

A few stalls were also set up by the members of the Pakistan Association of the Deaf, and the Karachi Deaf Welfare Association who, as they were communicating with each other through the sign-language, were also drawing large crowds, particularly children. A magic show also enthralled the audience, particularly children.

The association’s chief, Shamim Kazmi, on the occasion said that the mela was organised to provide women entrepreneurs a chance to sell their goods and also to come into contact with other business women.

She said that her association did not believe in calling high-profile chief guests, and every year the mela was inaugurated by women working at the grassroots level; the previous melas had been inaugurated by a washer woman and a vegetable seller, and this year a vender selling papers had inaugurated the mela.

She said that ABPAW was providing assistance to the inmates of the Larkana Women’s Jail through its doctors, teacher and counsellor; while vocational training was being provided to the inmates of Sukkur Juvenile Jail.

Ms Kazmi said that the association also provided financial assistance (loans) up to Rs 15,000 to its members so that they could set up their small businesses. Besides,she said, the association was also operating a primary level school in Manzoor Colony.